Internet users have begun interacting with the web in new ways. No longer limited to simply browsing for information, people are using the Internet to auction collectibles, sell cars and houses, share photos with their families and friends, meet new friends, romantic interests, share many elements of their lives with others by posting text, photos, graphics and, increasingly, video online. However, online communities and services that provide video sharing features for users often find that users consume much higher levels of storage space and bandwidth when they use video features because files containing video information are generally much larger than most other files posted and viewed by internet users.
As more people gain access to broadband Internet connections and video-enabled digital cameras and cell phones, they will want to incorporate rich media into these interactions. While today Internet users are uploading still photos, in the future they will upload home videos to share with friends, walking tours to accompany their real estate listings, and videos to augment their online dating profiles.
One of the principal barriers to this interactive multi-media future is the complexity of putting digital video on the web. Uploading video requires a technical understanding of video formats and codecs, encoders, players, and streaming servers. The average Internet user simply does not understand the intricacies of preparing a video for the web. There exists a need to improve a user's ability to post and view video.
Internet communities and services often provide posting and sharing features free-of-charge. They support their services by placing advertising within their websites. In order to support the costs incurred while providing relatively more expensive video features, advertising can be placed in association with the video content. Many forms of advertising require users to watch advertising messages before a video (pre-roll), in the middle of a video or series of videos (interstitial) or after a video (post-roll). These advertising forms are often resented by users for their intrusiveness. There exists a need to improve the presentation of advertising messages associated with internet videos.